Janis: Little Girl Blue

source: Janis: Little Girl Blue

My favourite music has always been from the 60's and 70's but because she hardly dented the charts here I know comparatively little about Janis Joplin. I must say too that her music doesn't appeal very much to me either, her blues-wailing vocal-style affecting me rather like chalk on blackboard. And yet this was still a fascinating biography of her short life and watching it I couldn't help but think of another young woman who quickly got to the top but once there couldn't handle the pressures and died a lonely death in a haze of drink and drugs, also the subject of a recent documentary biography, I'm speaking of Amy Winehouse of course. Coloured by archive footage of TV interviews, live performances and many candid home-movies of the time, her brief life span is covered from back to front as she lives out the classic rags-to-riches, success-to-excess route of so many in the music business before she checked into the infamous "27" club, also peopled by Brian Jones Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain and indeed Amy Winehouse among many others. What emerges here is a woman who only ever seemed at home either cutting records or performing live. Away from the stage and studio, however she was insecure about her looks, sensitive of small-town criticism from where she grew up in the American South and always looking out for the dream man who would help her settle down and beat her spiralling drink and drugs habits. By the end of this engrossing film, I still didn't like her music but certainly better knew, understood and yes, liked the woman behind the music.

I found this documentary on Netflix streaming. Janis Joplin and I are contemporaries, she grew up in a conservative home in Port Arthur, Texas. At that same time I often visited my aunt in Port Arthur. Janis and I could have run into each other as kids, but we probably didn't. When you see some of the interviews with Janis you can only conclude that she was very smart and had a gift for analyzing things and presenting her ideas. Most very gifted artists, musicians, singers are very intelligent, it is part of the package. But Janis was a mediocre student in high school and was a misfit of sorts, a kind soul who couldn't or didn't want to conform. But all she ever wanted was to be accepted and loved. Perhaps her lowest point was when she went to U of Texas and she was not only nominated for the prank contest "Ugliest Man on Campus" she was voted the winner. Shortly after she left Texas and ended up in San Francisco where she found people like her. She really had no idea at first that her singing was very special but she soon became famous and things were written like "The most important new voice since Aretha Franklin." In truth I never cared for Janis Joplin's singing, too raspy and too much shouting. But there is no doubt she moved audiences and when she was in the mood had a very lovely and soft lyrical style. Her demise was a result of having absolutely no clue what to do with herself when not recording or performing. It was her life and it was just one more heroin fix in her room after a performance that cut her short in 1970 at the young age of 27. This is a superb documentary, one of the very best I have ever watched. There is much footage of Janis herself, and close-ups during performances almost bring you into her intimate world. It also has input from her brother and sister, some old friends, and some old band mates. The film is narrated by actress Cat Power who often reads from letters Janis ad written to others and it is almost like hearing Janis herself.

Whilst I have heard some of her hit singles and the tragic history of being part of the "27 club" I for someone have never got round to giving a good listen to Janis Joplin.Taking a look at reviews on IMDb's European Cinema board,I spotted a fellow IMDber praise a Joplin doc that they had seen on the BBC.Finding the movie on BBC iPlayer,I decided it was time to uncover the pearl. The outline of the doc: Growing up in a small town,Janis Joplin finds herself being an outcast in university, with her fellow students voting her "Ugliest Man on Campus." Feeling a strong connection to Blues music,Joplin decides to leave her small town for the free-wheeling spirit of California.As she puts all of her emotions into her music,Joplin finds herself struggling to get a grip on her own blues. View on the doc: Bringing Joplin's notes and lyrics off the page and onto the screen, the great musician Cat Power gives a soulful narration as Joplin,with Power's voice getting the deeply emotive words of Joplin smoothly across.Uncovering unseen performances,director Amy Berg keeps the narration in the background and allows Joplin to do the talking,by washing the screen in explosive footage from gigs which are placed in the era with Berg scattering hand-made posters and ripped concert tickets across the stage.Interviewing Joplin's band mates and family members,Berg strikes a fine balance in giving everyone an equal say,which allows for the lack of a dividing line between Joplin the person and Joplin the performer to be fully displayed,as Janis Joplin sings the Blues.

The fall of 1970 delivered a terrible gut punch with the passing of two rock icons, Jimi Hendrix on 9/18, and Janis Joplin on 10/4/70. I wouldn't go so far as to say they were 'idols' of mine, but I did hold their body of work in high regard, brief as their careers might have been. This recent documentary did much to confirm what I read about Janis in a recent book of her life. She was a lonely spirit, terribly insecure about her personal appearance and lack of meaningful relationships, finding her inner soul only when she was on stage and performing for the crowds that gave her the approbation she so desperately wanted and needed. What this documentary offered that I particularly enjoyed was musical footage I hadn't seen before, including songs Janis performed that I'd never heard before, like the opening "Tell Your Momma". The story goes on to describe Janis's close relationship with her family that she tried to maintain during the course of her rising career, even though she wanted to leave her Port Arthur, Texas roots well behind her. Much of the on screen personal dialog is handled by her sister Laura throughout the picture, with occasional clips of brother Michael. Fans of Joplin will know that her career breakout occurred with Big Brother and the Holding Company at the Monterey Pop Festival in June of 1967. In these music documentaries, I try to stay attentive to scenes that offer a glimpse of memorabilia from the era, and I was astonished to see a ticket for the Festival during a quick scene. It's not unusual to see tickets priced at five or six dollars back in the Sixties, the Beatles' concert at Shea Stadium would have set you back a whole five bucks. But for Monterey Pop - a stage front seat went for a 'Charitable Contribution'! There's something to be said about the good old days. In any event, Janis Joplin has been and probably will remain my favorite female vocalist for a long time. There's something electrifying about her voice and the way she sustains that bluesy soul feeling in songs like "Cry Baby", "Maybe" and the song that epitomizes her life and tragic end, "Little Girl Blue". Listen to the words, and all the pain and sorrow is there that Janis experienced, and which unfortunately led to her premature death at the age of twenty seven. Man, I wish she were still around.

It has not been a different life than the other 27's. It has not been a different life than other real stars. Filmin structure was not good. I guess they did it without much effort. He did not elaborate after Janis's death. No special music was made for the film. I did not like your director very much. The film has not succeeded in dramatic places as well. It was not nice without Janis. There was an air of sadness. Although a girl who was excluded in her childhood and adolescence was given a nice star, she had not been given any details when necessary.

This documentary really brought me back to the 60s and 70s. It never ceases to amaze me how tough it is to be a creative artist, just think Brian Wilson or Amy Winehouse. We are introduced to Janis's early life and the many struggles she had to go through growing up. She leaves for California and finds her roots and her tribe with Big Brother and the Holding Company. The live performances really show the incredible rapport she had with her audience during a concert. Coming down from such a high must have been an insupportable task. Janis finds a true love during her time in Brazil which for her was very important. Her letters to her family and friends were filled with hope and optimism right up to her tragic death. Interviews with her various friends and colleagues all painted a picture of a very unique and spontaneous person. The world was truly inspired by a pure spirit.

This is perhaps one of the most boring bio docs I have ever seen. Yes there's a smidgen of insight from family and friends. Yes there's some nice cips. Yes, Dick Cavett reveals he slept with her. But man this is sow going and really really boring. Surprising, considering how vibrant and strong a singer she was.

JANIS JOPLIN: LITTLE GIRL BLUE follows a familiar narrative (also employed in 2015's AMY) of the exceptionally talented female star catapulted into the limelight, who could not handle it, and eventually killed herself accidentally of a heroin overdose at the age of 28. All the familiar ingredients were there; the middle-class upbringing In Port Arthur, Texas, where Joplin became something of a rebel against her rather insular family, and expressed her rebellion by acting in increasingly mannish ways. Although she believed herself to be accepted into a largely male society, she found herself victim of a series of reversals, including being elected the "ugliest man" in a group of people in Austin, Texas. Eventually she decamped to San Francisco, where she joined a band (Big Brother) and eventually acquired the recognition she had craved ever since childhood. The narrative followed a predictable live: in the end she became too big for her band, branched out on her own, enjoyed some major successes both in the United States as well as abroad, founded a new band, consolidated her stardom and was just about to embark on exciting new possibilities when death eventually struck her. Accompanied by reminiscences from those closest to her, as well as members of her own family, JANIS JOPLIN: LITTLE GIRL BLUE told the story of a phenomenally talented person unable to reconcile personal with professional lives. She could not stand being alone when offstage; and tried to find solace in heroin. It seemed that for all their love of the singer (some of the interviewees started crying as they recalled the tragic sides of her life), no one actively lifted a finger to help her psychologically. Accompanied by extensive footage of her in performance, together with readings from her private letters, Amy J. Berg's documentary had a certain fascination for anyone interested in her music. But for the uninitiated viewer it seemed to be wearyingly predictable.

As an avid Janis Joplin Fan I really wanted to see this Documentary. However with only 1 theater showing it within a 30 mile radius of my home how do they expect this film to do well? Moreover there is only 7 showings a day. I do not live in a remote part of the United States. So why is it there is only 1 theater in New York showing it? Seems the producers of the film have doomed it to failure before it was ever released. I hope it gets released on Blu Ray as it appears that is the only way I will get to see it. Disappointed Fan!